During December "Season's Greetings" poly bagged, Large Lima Beans, Fresh Dried Culinary Bulk, 10 lb. grown & packaged in the USA

Price & Quantities Subject to Availability

Buy Large Lima Beans, Fresh Dried Culinary, delicious butter beans, health benefits, cholesterol-lowering fiber, protein rich, long shelf life, economical

"Beans: Protein-Rich Superfoods" WebMD

Grown and packaged in the USA 

Lima beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, lima beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as rice, lima beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. You may already be familiar with beans' fiber and protein, but this is far from all Lima beans have to offer.

The pod of the lima bean is flat, oblong and slightly curved, averaging about three inches in length. Within the pod are the two to four flat kidney-shaped seeds that we call lima beans. The seeds are generally cream or green in color, although certain varieties feature colors such as white, red, purple, brown or black.

Although lima beans have been cultivated in Peru for more than 7,000 years, historians are unsure whether they originated there or in Guatemala. Soon after Columbus' discovery of America, Spanish explorers noticed different varieties of lima beans growing throughout South America, Central America and the Caribbean. They introduced them to Europe and Asia, while the Portuguese explorers introduced lima beans into Africa. Since lima beans can withstand humid tropical weather better than most beans, they have become an important crop in areas of Africa and Asia. Lima beans were introduced into the United States in the 19th century with the majority of domestic commercial production centered in California.

See our entire selection Culinary Dry Beans in store, at 524 Metz Rd. King City 831-385-4841, and 8525 N. Prunedale Rd. Prunedale 831-663-1572

Special Orders Welcome 

Don't forget to soak them before you cook them

Read more about all the benefits of eating Lima Beans The World's Healthiest Foods

Below, is one of our favorite Lima Bean Recipes

Large Lima Beans are like a sponge soaking up liquid and they don’t take very long to cook.  Building a good base and letting it cook develops flavor before adding the beans.  The beans will rehydrate with the liquid from the base.  Beans wrinkle and float to the top when hydrating then slowly sink as they fill with liquid.  When they sink make sure you stir them by rolling, this keeps them from burning on the bottom, be gentle, don’t over stir as the beans will fall apart, this means they are ready.  Have fun!

 Francis’ Savory Large Lima (Butter Beans) Recipe

3 lbs dry white large lima hand sorted/cleaned (about 6 cups)

2 - 3  medium (yellow or white)  onions chopped

1 red bell pepper chopped

6 cloves garlic minced

3/4 lb of lean chorizo

1-28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes

16 ounces of Tomatillo salsa (or fresh)

11 ounces of canned green chilies (you can spice them up more with jalapenos)

2 smoked ham hocks or ½ lb chopped bacon (I’ve been leaning to the bacon so I don’t have to mess with the bones)

1 Tbl Spoon of Honey

Beef, chicken, or vegetable stock to keep liquid level above beans (About 32 ounces)

Add your favorite herbs.  I usually use fresh sage and thyme for this recipe

1.     Cook chorizo until brown and spoon out grease.

2.    Rinse beans DO NOT soak – set aside

3.   Add onions and garlic – simmer until tender

4.   Add tomatoes, chilies, tomatillos, ham hocks/bacon, and honey.

5.   Add stock and enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches

6.   Bring to a boil – slowly boil for about 45 minutes with lid cracked (until ham hocks begin to break down)

7.   Add beans and stir occasionally at a low boil with the lid cracked.

8.   Make sure to keep adding stock/water just above the level of the beans as they will take on 1.5 times their original weight and size.

9.   Slowly boil for about 2.5 to 3 hours (until beans are tender).

10.  If hocks used, remove bones of ham hocks and any unwanted rind.

11.  Salt and pepper to taste (requires very little)

Enjoy 

If you leave the lid cracked to allow the beans to breathe when they are “sitting”, they have less chance of fermenting and spoiling. 

You can also freeze these beans in containers or ‘freezer bags’ for later

Almost Meatless Recipe (More like a hearty soup)

Same recipe above but eliminate the use of chorizo and ham hock/bacon

If vegetarian use vegetable stock – if not use chicken or beef stock – chicken stock will make it a little lighter, while beef will make it hearty.

Increase the amount of stock to be at least 2 inches above the beans.

Cook until the beans are tender and serve in a bowl as soup.  Great for lunch!